HMCS MALPEQUE J148 / 186

Bangor Class Minesweeper

HMCS MALPEQUE J149

Click on the above photo to view a larger image

Laid down: 24 Apr 1940

Launched: 05 Sep 1940

Commissioned: 04 Aug 1941

Paid off: 09 Oct 1945

Re-acquired by RCN: 1952

Fate: Sold for scrap in Feb 1959

Built at North Vancouver Ship Repairs Ltd., she was commissioned at Vancouver on 04 Aug 1941. MALPEQUE left for Halifax on 13 Sep 1941, arriving on 19 Oct 1941. She was briefly assigned to Sydney Force, then to Newfoundland Force, with which she served until 19 Feb 1944, when, with CARAQUET, COWICHAN and VEGREVILLE, sailed for the U.K. via the Azores for invasion duties. Arriving at Plymouth on 13 Mar 1944, she was assigned to the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla, and was present on D-Day. She proceeded to Canada in Apr 1945, for refit at Liverpool, N.S., but returned to the U.K. in June and remained there until Sep 1945. She then returned home and was paid off on 09 Oct 1945, to reserve at Shelburne. Taken to Sorel in 1946 and placed in strategic reserve, she was re-acquired by the RCN in 1952 and laid up at Sydney. Never re-commissioned, she was sold for scrap in Feb 1959.

Photos and Documents Ship's company photos

The Thirty-First Minesweeping Flotilla

Commanding Officers

A/LCdr William R. Stacey, RCNR - 04 Aug 1941 - 05 Aug 1942

Lt J.G. McQuarrie, RCNR - 06 Aug 1942 - 13 Sep 1942

A/LCdr William Roland Stacey, RCNR - 14 Sep 1942 - 12 Aug 1943

Lt J.A. Dunn, RCNVR - 13 Aug 1943 - 13 Sep 1943

A/LCdr W.R. Stacey, RCNR - 14 Sep 1943 - 24 Oct 1943

Lt Donald Davis, RCNVR - 25 Oct 1943 - 25 Apr 1945

Lt Orrin Ralph Archibald, RCNVR - 26 Apr 1945 - 09 Oct 1945

In memory of those who have crossed the bar

They shall not be forgotten

Campbell, Crichton D.

Chapman, Myron E.

Clayton, Alfred E. J.

Cotey, Thomas J.

Dawson, C. G. Stewart

DeLaFranier, L. James

MacDonnell, Donald J.

Ship's Mascot

Former Crew Members

Baird, A. Kenneth, PO - 1945

Cannon, William Reagh, Lt, RCNVR - 07 Apr 1943

Clarke, A., L/Sto of Halifax - 1944

Clark, Stuart, LT (E), RCNVR - 05 Jun 1945

Gagne, Joseph Paul Rene, RCN - 21 May 1944

Hornbrook, John Jeffry, SLt, RCNVR - 16 Apr 1945

James, J., AB of Dartmouth, NS - 1944

LeBlanc, P., L/Sto - 1944

Lidell, Bert, AB, M.I.D., of Kingston, ON - 1944

MacDonald, Angus Raymond, SLt, RCNVR - 02 Apr 1945

MacDougall, D., A/ERA - 1944

McIsaac, J., Sig of Sydney, NS - 1944

Mombourquette, F., AB - 1944

O'Hearn, M., Stwd - 1944

Riggs, R., L/Sto - 1944

Shepherd, Sydney Woodroofe, Lt, RCNVR - 04 Mar 1942 - 1944

Slater, Herbert Ronald, SLt, RCNVR - 09 Apr 1945

Still, Allen, LS - 1944

Tilley, L, ERA, of Halifax, NS - 1944

Photos and Documents

HMCS MALPEQUE J148

Source: Queen's Co. Museum, Liverpool, NS

Courtesy of Don Smith

Gerald Lillie (right) and winger

From the collection of Gerald Lillie

Courtesy of Phil Lillie

HMCS MALPEQUE J148 Christmas Card - 1943

From the collection of Thomas J. Cotey

Courtesy of Tim Cotey

Officers of HMCS MALPEQUE J148

Front Centre: LCdr W.R. Stacey, Commanding Officer

Back row, right: Lt Jack McCauley

Source: Nauticapedia / Patrick McCauley Collection

LCdr William Roland Stacey, Commanding Officer, HMCS MALPEQUE J148 - 1944

Source: Nauticapedia / Patrick McCauley Collection

HMCS MALPEQUE J148

From the collection of Jim Silvester

Courtesy of Jim Silvester

HMCS MALPEQUE Christmas card

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Message sent to HMCS Caraquet, HMCS Vegreville, HMCS Cowichan and HMCS MALPEQUE on their departure for Europe - 19 Feb 1944

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Invasion money and badge taken as a souvenir from a German ship that was boarded in the Channel

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper articles on the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla's involvement in D-Day

Royal Canadian navy ships in the 31st Flotilla were: HMCS CARAQUET, HMCS FORT WILLIAM, HMCS COWICHAN, HMCS BLAIRMORE, HMCS MALPEQUE, HMCS MILLTOWN, HMCS MINAS, HMCS MULGRAVE, HMCS WASAGA and HMCS BAYFIELD

Crew members listed in the 1st article along with the ships' COs are:

HMCS MALPEQUE: Archibald, Orrin, Lt, XO; Clarke, A., L/Sto of Halifax; James, J., AB of Dartmouth; Riggs, R., L/Sto; Mombourquette, F., AB; O'Hearn, M., Stwd; Tilley, L, ERA of Halifax; MacDougall, D., A/ERA; LeBlanc, P., L/Sto; McIsaac, J., Sig of Syndey; Lidell, Bert, AB, M.I.D., of Kingston

HMCS MILLTOWN: Burke, Lester, LS; Fetinki, Patrick, L/C of Halifax; Calder, Albert, Sto of Glace Bay; Darrington, William, L/ERA of Inverness; Hazell, Rockwell, SBA, of Scotch Village; MacIntyre, John, ERA of Sydney; Edwards, J., LS of Dartmouth; Pineau, Joseph, CPO, M.I.D., of Port Arthur, ON, formerly of Charlottetown; Birt, Wendell, L/Tell, of Charlotttown

HMCS FORT WILLIAM: Kelly, George, Lt, from Ireland

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article on the RCN's participation in D-Day

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article on the 31st Minesweeping Flotilla clearing the approaches to Cherbourg Harbour, France

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article showing the minesweeping gear on HMCS MALPEQUE during the Cherbourg operations.

Shown in the photo is LS Allan Still

From the collection of M.E. Chapman

Courtesy of Pete Chapman

Newspaper article showing the minesweeping gear on HMCS MALPEQUE during the Cherbourg operations

From the collection of J. Vincent Wesley, CPO, RCNVR

Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor

LS Allan Still of HMCS MALPEQUE checking minesweeping cable

From the collection of J. Vincent Wesley, CPO, RCNVR

Courtesy of Marilynn Taylor

PS01

OS02

PS03

PS04

(PS01) SLt Barry Brissenden, Victoria, BC on HMCS MALPEQUE // (PS02) back of PS01

(PS03) "Our convoy and "pip squeak" escort. (Note short length of naval ship from bridge-aft) - 23 Mar 1942 // (PS04) back of PS03

From the collection of LCol A.H. "Pete" Stevens

Courtesy of Colin Stevens

RM25

RM26

RM27

RM28

RM29

(RM25) HMCS MALPEQUE J148

(RM26) HMCS INGONISH J69

(RM27) Unknown sailors on HMCS MALPEQUE

(RM28) Sailors in front of gunshield on HMCS MALPEQUE - rear right - Robert Miller; front left Enio Gerard. Note: on 31 Oct 1943, while serving in HMCS EDMUNDSTON, Enio had been washed overboard and was rescued by his shipmates

(RM29) HMCS MALPEQUE

Minesweeping Operations

The photos below- RM30 - RM47 are official RCN photos on minesweeping operations taken on/from HMCS MALPEQUE. In a few photos censors blocked out the ship's pendant numbers and various antenna.